The Department of Labor’s Manpower Administration is investigating “to determine the facts” in allegations against two Orthodox rabbis in New York that they misused federal funds allocated to help Jewish poor in that city. Philip Mason, an information officer for the Manpower Administration, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that “we’re looking into this immediately.”

Mason said that under two contracts made with the Council of Jewish Manpower Resources in Brooklyn, the Administration, on Nov. 17, 1972 allocated $496,000 for 200 on-the-job training positions and that exactly one year later a second allocation of $396,000 was made. According to Mason, the Administration watches performances of the contracts and “a full audit is done on all contracts when they are completed.”

Neither of the two contracts under review have yet been audited, Mason said. He pointed out that the contracts are funded monthly on the basis of expenditures. He also said that the contractor is bonded to protect the federal government. The two rabbis under investigation by NYC and federal authorities are Bernard Weinberger, an administrator in the City’s Human Resources Administration and Ronald Greenwald who worked for the Nixon re-election committee in 1972. Rabbi Weinberger earlier denied all charges against him by the federal and NYC officials. Rabbi Greenwald, who is reportedly out of the city, could not be reached for comment.